Felix ends up caught in the rain a bit on the way home from training, as his mind stews over the recent changes in his counterpart's memory - and with them, changes to his entire demeanor and outlook. Changes that prove how much more he himself could have done for Dimitri, if he'd only been able to come to terms with things sooner. Get past all the resentment and hurt and fear and worry and anger to stand by his prince's side from the moment the war began. Let Dimitri know how he felt before things spiraled so horribly out of control.
Having a version of himself around who successfully did all those things...it hurts. How the tables have turned.
And as he turns these differences over in his mind, he remembers a conversation he had with Rose, once, when he found her among the flowers having chopped off so much of her hair. She spoke of starting fresh, making a change to feel ready to move forward and leave the past behind.
So rather than going straight home, he makes a detour to the beach, and soon enough he's knocking on Rose and Seteth's door.
He's greeted by a cacophony of barks and scratching of paws against the hardwood floor. The modest seaside shack she and Seteth have taken up has grown recently. A second floor has been added on as well as a garden full of hydrangeas - among other plants - for her to enjoy. "Calm down," the woman can be heard saying, which is followed by an undignified squeak as she bumps into Brick. "Coming!" she calls only to open the door a moment later.
"Felix?" she asks, blinking at the man at their door. While she doesn't mind, she can't say she expected this unexpected drop in. "Hey, come on in-" she starts, shooing away her pets from crowding him too much. The dogs, at least, have tails happily wagging and seem excited for someone new to entertain them. "Guessing you got caught in the storm? Don't worry, I can make you some tea..." she's talking as she walks back into the house, gesturing for him to follow.
"Seteth went over to make sure Hypnos is okay. He's not a big fan of thunder and lightning, understandably, so... If you're looking for him, you might have to wait for a little." Not that she doesn't think he'd be coming to see her, actually, but most of the time people from Fodlan end up coming for Seteth's counsel rather than hers.
By the time Rose gets the door open, Felix looks a little taken aback at all the noise. He makes a face at all the dogs clamoring for attention as he follows her inside, ignoring them as best he can. "I did. And tea would be nice, thank you."
But at her explanation about Seteth, he shakes his head. "I'm not. I was looking for you. I want you to cut my hair."
Unfortunately, ignoring them only makes them more determined. The dogs nose at Felix's hands and snuggle eagerly. Affection, please? As if they don't get enough already.
"Coming right up," the blond offers, heading into the kitchen to get that set up. As she does, she listens to what he has to say though and- Oh.
"Wait, really?" she asks, glancing back at him with a brow raised. "What brought this on?"
Felix glares at the nearest dog. "Stop it. Get away, you mutts!" He waves his arms at them ineffectually and then turns to Rose, pouting frowning. "Do something, before they smother me to death!"
He follows her into the kitchen and leans against a wall, folding his arms. "It's the other me. He's changed. He...remembered a whole separate timeline on top of his original one and now he's..." He fishes for the right words. "...ugh, I don't know. It feels like he's better at being me than I am. It's annoying. I hate it. So I want to do what you did. You said it was a tradition that helped you feel like you could move on from the past, right?"
"Sorry, you know what you were signing up for when you stepped through that door. The love and adoration of our little zoo." Seteth has come around to their unexpected flock but even wasn't completely sold first. "Just be grateful Brick hasn't tried to trip you yet." It's what he does best. Meanwhile, the dogs continue to hover even if Felix tries to shoo them away. He smells new and interesting and is friend-shaped!
As she works on getting the tea ready, she does listen to what he has to say. Ah. The other him, again. "It is, for my people," she agrees. "It symbolizes starting over or, at least, starting a new chapter in your life. Embarrassing to admit then but not so much now- For women, a lot of times it's done after a breakup." Considering she thought she'd never see Seteth again, well- Maybe she'd been a bit rash all things considered.
"Anyway, I don't think anyone is you but you... Though I can understand where you're coming from. If you wanna' set yourself apart and turn a new page? I'd still be glad to help."
Felix is not friend-shaped, thank you very much! Although he has inexplicably never been able to convince anyone of that no matter how hard he used to try. "Hmph. A zoo would be preferable. Zoo animals are kept away from visitors." He emphasizes his point by snatching his hand away from an eager doggy tongue wanting to lick it.
He gives Rose a confused look. "Only for women? Why?"
Ordinarily, Felix would have to think long and hard about a decision like this. There are reasons he keeps his hair long. Some sentimental, some aesthetic, and plus it's just a part of who he is, his self-image. But now, that's actually the problem. His self-image is the same as this other Felix's, more or less, and one of them has to change. They cannot simply exist together like this, not when the younger one has succeeded in all the things he never did.
Her dogs say otherwise, of course, but they do at least listen to Rosie when she whistles for them to come over into the kitchen. With ears perked and noses high, the disappointment is palpable when the canines realize they aren't receiving any treats. Rose isn't even making food! Instead, it's that gross leaf water... Again. Always, with the leaf water.
"Well not only... Just more common! Girls are usually the ones more emotional when it comes to separation, right? But women are also believed to be extremely resilient, too, so they're the ones to cut their hair and start again." She can't say she has ever heard of a man cutting his hair but she's sure there are some in the new generation that have.
"I think I have an idea, actually. A way to not cut your hair entirely but set you apart a bit."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hasitsthorns) wrote2022-03-02 12:20 pm
during the rainstorm!
Having a version of himself around who successfully did all those things...it hurts. How the tables have turned.
And as he turns these differences over in his mind, he remembers a conversation he had with Rose, once, when he found her among the flowers having chopped off so much of her hair. She spoke of starting fresh, making a change to feel ready to move forward and leave the past behind.
So rather than going straight home, he makes a detour to the beach, and soon enough he's knocking on Rose and Seteth's door.
no subject
"Felix?" she asks, blinking at the man at their door. While she doesn't mind, she can't say she expected this unexpected drop in. "Hey, come on in-" she starts, shooing away her pets from crowding him too much. The dogs, at least, have tails happily wagging and seem excited for someone new to entertain them. "Guessing you got caught in the storm? Don't worry, I can make you some tea..." she's talking as she walks back into the house, gesturing for him to follow.
"Seteth went over to make sure Hypnos is okay. He's not a big fan of thunder and lightning, understandably, so... If you're looking for him, you might have to wait for a little." Not that she doesn't think he'd be coming to see her, actually, but most of the time people from Fodlan end up coming for Seteth's counsel rather than hers.
no subject
But at her explanation about Seteth, he shakes his head. "I'm not. I was looking for you. I want you to cut my hair."
no subject
"Coming right up," the blond offers, heading into the kitchen to get that set up. As she does, she listens to what he has to say though and- Oh.
"Wait, really?" she asks, glancing back at him with a brow raised. "What brought this on?"
no subject
poutingfrowning. "Do something, before they smother me to death!"He follows her into the kitchen and leans against a wall, folding his arms. "It's the other me. He's changed. He...remembered a whole separate timeline on top of his original one and now he's..." He fishes for the right words. "...ugh, I don't know. It feels like he's better at being me than I am. It's annoying. I hate it. So I want to do what you did. You said it was a tradition that helped you feel like you could move on from the past, right?"
no subject
As she works on getting the tea ready, she does listen to what he has to say. Ah. The other him, again. "It is, for my people," she agrees. "It symbolizes starting over or, at least, starting a new chapter in your life. Embarrassing to admit then but not so much now- For women, a lot of times it's done after a breakup." Considering she thought she'd never see Seteth again, well- Maybe she'd been a bit rash all things considered.
"Anyway, I don't think anyone is you but you... Though I can understand where you're coming from. If you wanna' set yourself apart and turn a new page? I'd still be glad to help."
no subject
He gives Rose a confused look. "Only for women? Why?"
Ordinarily, Felix would have to think long and hard about a decision like this. There are reasons he keeps his hair long. Some sentimental, some aesthetic, and plus it's just a part of who he is, his self-image. But now, that's actually the problem. His self-image is the same as this other Felix's, more or less, and one of them has to change. They cannot simply exist together like this, not when the younger one has succeeded in all the things he never did.
"I do. Thank you."
no subject
"Well not only... Just more common! Girls are usually the ones more emotional when it comes to separation, right? But women are also believed to be extremely resilient, too, so they're the ones to cut their hair and start again." She can't say she has ever heard of a man cutting his hair but she's sure there are some in the new generation that have.
"I think I have an idea, actually. A way to not cut your hair entirely but set you apart a bit."